Some FE interchangability questions...

[Brent Mills]

George confirmed it's externally balanced. So if I go this route, I'll have to get a new flywheel.

Thanks for the help guys!

[wtcobra]

Brent- Do it right and have George zero balance it during the rebuild if you are going to use the IU crank. Also have him to offset the crank to BBC rods while he's at it. Four and 1/8 stroke sounds good with 6.7 or 6.8 rods, and engine will live for long time, if George is sober when he assembles it, and doesn't drop any tabs from his beer cans in the engine, or better yet tell him you want Keith to oversee the assembly.

wt

[Michael C Henry]

I had a friend back in Iowa in the late 60's early 70's which delt exclusivly w/427's. He was a concrete truck driver living with his parents home. He'd buy a short block put his heads and stuff on run it for six months and sell it for what he paid for it originaly or more.Once he tried a 428. He used his 427 flywheel on it. Drove it down the alley and back and pulled out.He didn't know about the differences.Ford wouldn't take it back. He tried to collect under warranty .It would just through the belts off.Loaned it to a stock car ,it blew clutch and bell housing. Sold it to a guy who had it bored .040" over and later sold it back to my friend directly from the machine shop. I traded a 428 police intercepter and cash for it put it together and put in a 63 1/2 Gallaxy Ran it he summer of 69 till drafted. Replaced it w/ 65 352 .That engine was the lastproject before thi kids came.I finished it moved it to WA and sold it to a guy w/ a short stepside truck with enormous tires in Everett.This is all to say 428 takes a 428 flywheel stick or automatic, all the other FE's are in one pile 428 is another pile.
I beleive the 428 harmonic ballancer maybe unique also.Others still in the struggle may know for sure.

[kobrabob]

SFfiredog and Michael Henry are right in that 428 are externally balanced and al other Ford Fe engines are internally balanced.

Use 428 flywheel on a 428 crank and if you do remember the dampners are different.

I too, have interchanged many an FE and not run into trouble but never played around with 428 flywheel on 390 or 427.

You can bolt on a 352 or 390 any externals and most heads but beware of 427 heads, I remember hearing something about valves hitting the block.

bob

[decooney]

Hey Brent,
I saw Pete's post. Actually, you might be quite surprised by a well built 390 while you are waiting for your 427. I was at Tom's place (FE Specialties) the other day and he had a completed 390 with dual carbs on the stand ready to go if you are still looking. I know Pete has a 390, and a few others here in my town run 390s (rebuilt and tired versions) and they all do very well in a light Cobra. I may even pick up a 390 down the road and use it in my Cobra and save my 428CJ for a display stand in the garage... Good Luck. Tom will certainly be able to give you a few options to consider.

[Dan Lancaster]

Some good thoughts in the previous notes but I didn't see any mention of valve clearance to cylinder wall. With big valved heads and a small bore, the valves may strike the cylinder head deck. So you might have trouble if you try installing your 427 heads with big valves on a 352. Just need to check this too.

[chuckbrandt]

Thanks Dan for bringing this up. I plan to use CJ sized valves in a C4AE-G casting head. The 352 will most likely be 030 over which is getting closer to the standard 390 bore of 4.05. So I'm hoping by notching the bore slightly like a 427 it wil be fine. The cam is dual pattern, intake lift is .533, exhaust is .563.

But all that said, I think I'll have the block work done first and experiment with the new valves before having the head work done.

Chuck

[Dan Lancaster]

Install one intake valve and one exhaust valve in the head with close pins holding the valves in the head. Use a couple of bolts and put this assembly on the block with out pistons installed in the block. Flip the block upside down on your engine stand and push the valves towards the block by hand. This will let you know if there will be any interference and show how badly the valves will be shrouded by the block. If you decide to cut the block, be sure you don't take off so much material that the stock head gasket won't work or you will be o-ringing the block or installing copper head gaskets.